Cross-head safety device.



w. c. MURPHY. CROSS HEADI'SAFETY DEVICE.

APPLlcATloN FILED APR. 2. 191.8.

1,277,337. Patenmg. 27, 1918.

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W. C. MURPHY.

CROSS HEAD SAFETY DEVICE.'

APPL|cAT|oN-f1LED APR. 2. ma.

' Patented Aug". 27, 1918.

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a sTA'insYrA'rENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM C. MURPHY, OF GOLD I-IILL, UTAH.

CRO SS-I-IEAD SAFETY DEVICE.

Application filed Ap112, 1918.

To all whom t may concern Be it known that I, ILLIAM C. MURPHY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Gold Hill, in the county of Tooele and State of Utah, have invented new and useful Im! provements in Cross-Head Safety Devices,

serve as guides for the cross head of the hoisting mechanism. The bucket rope is guided through the cross head 'to keep it from swaying or swinging in the mining shaft while the bucket is ascending or descending, and a stop or 'stops is provided near the lower end of the shaft to limit the downward movement of the cross head while permitting the bucket or cage to descend to the bottom of the shaft. It frequently happens that the cross head becomes wedged or stuck before reaching the normal downward limit of its movement. If, under such circumstances, the bucket or cage is permitted to continue its downward movement, it often happens that the cross head becomes dislodged in which event it will come downward with a crash which frequently results in the killing or maiming of the workers in the shaft below. I

This invention has for its object to produce a simple and improved' device whereby, in the event of the cross head being stuck near the mouth of the shaft, or before reaching the normal downward limit of its movement, the bucket rope will be firmly gripped to prevent further downward movement of the bucket or cage and immediate notice given the engineer of the state of affairs, so that measures may be taken to prevent disaster.

A further object is to simplify and improve the construction of the cross head and related parts with the ends above stated in view.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Serial No. 226,223.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated. a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the Jrecise structural details therein exhibited, ut that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional view taken vertically through a mining shaft and showing a cross head to which the invention has been applied.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in section of the cross head on a larger scale.

Fig. 3 is a top plan .view of the cross head.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 4 4 in Fig. 8.

Fig. 5 is a view in side elevation showing the cross head at the downward limit of its movement.

Corresponding arts in the several figures are denoted by lile characters of reference.

The shaft 15 is shown as provided in the customary manner with cross timbers 16, corner posts 17 and uprights 18, the latter constituting the guides for the cross head C. The latter has been shown as consisting of a rectangular frame, suitably braced and reinforced by diagonal braces 19, the top and Patented A110. 27, 1918.`

bottom beams 20, 2l of said cross head being terminally notched at 22 to engage the guides 18. Fixed on the top beam of the cross head is a clutch device consisting of a plate 23 provided adjacent to the ends thereof with upstanding ianges 24 between which dogs 25 are mounted on pivots 26, said dogs facing each other for the passage between the heads 27 thereof of the bucket rope 28 which is guided upwardly to the winding drum,

openings 29, 30 in the top and bottom beams of the cross head. The bucket or cage is connected with the lower end of the rope by a fastening device 31 which is preferably not shown, and downwardly through guide lOO constructed in such a manner as to constic one side face of the top cross beam 20 of the cross head is a trigger member34 having at its upper end a head 35 which projects beneath the heads 27 of the dogs 25, the trigger head 35 being beveled in two directions to produce an inverted V formation which by engagement with the beveled portions of the heads of the dogs will tend to lift the latter against tension of the actuating springs 32 when the trigger member is moved in an upward direction. The lower end of the trigger member is beveled to produce an inclined face 36 engaging the correspondingly inclined face 37 of a push rod 38 whereby the trigger is sustained in normal position. The push rod is actuated outwardly with respect to the trigger by means of a spring 39. An operating rod 40 is mounted for vertical slidable movement adjacent to one of the side beams 4l of the cross head, said operating rod being normally forced in a downward direction by the spring 42. The push rod 38 and the operating rod 40 are formed with inclined meeting faces 43, 44 whereby when the operating rod is moved upward against the tension of the spring 42 the push rod will beforced in the direction of the trigger against the tension of the spring 39, thereby lifting the trigger and also lifting the free ends of the dogs 25, thereby releasing the clutch hold of said dogs on the cable or hoisting rope. The operating rod 40 normally projects below the cross head so that when it reaches the downward limit of its movement it will be engaged or intercepted by a stop member 49 whereby the mechanism will be actuated to release the rope, thereby permitting the cage or bucket to descend to the bottom of the shaft.

The dogs 25 have been shown as being provided with projecting heels or lugs GO whereby the opening or releasing movements of said dogs will be limited. These heels or limiting lugs will be found particularly useful when the springs 32 are omitted, as is sometimes the case, said lugs serving to prevent any possibility of the dogs moving to a position from which they will not readily be restored to engagement with the bucket rope.

It will be readily seen from the foregoing description taken in connection with the drawings that if the downward movement of' the cross head should be intercepted at Vany time before reaching itsvproper downward limit, the rope will be held securely clutched or clamped by the dogs 25. If then the rope should be unwound from the Copies of this patent may be obtainedfor ve cents each, by addressing the winding drum, a slackening would be immediately observed giving due notice of the existing conditions in time to enable the same to be remedied before an accident can occur.

I-Iaving described the invention what I claim as new is:

1. In a safety device for mines, a cross head, guides for the same, a hoisting rope guided through the cross head, a clutch mounted on the cross head and comprising two opposed dogs between the heads of which the rope is guided, said dogs having limiting lugs and said heads having beveled under faces, a slidably supported trigger having a head engaging the under faces of the heads of the dogs, and means moving the trigger in an upward direction to release the clutch of the dogs on the rope.

2. In a safety device for mines, a cross head, guides for the same, a hoisting rope guided through the cross head, a clutch mounted on the cross head and comprising two opposed spring actuated dogs between the heads of which the rope is guided, said heads having beveled under faces, a slidably supported trigger having a head engaging the under faces of the heads of the dogs, and means moving the trigger in an upward direction to release the clutch of the dogs on the rope, said means including a spring actuated push rod, a beveled face on said push rod and a correspondingly beveled face at the lower end of the trigger for engagement with the beveled face of the push rod.

3. In a safety device for mines, a cross hea d, guides for the same, a hoisting rope guided through the cross head, a clutch mounted on the cross head and comprising two opposed spring actuated dogs between the heads of which the rope is guided, said heads having beveled under faces, a slidably supported trigger having a head engagingv the under faces of the heads of the dogs, and means moving the trigger in an upward direction to release the clutch of the dogs on the rope, said means including a spring actuated push rod, a beveled face on said push rod, a correspondingly beveled face at the lower end of the trigger for engagement with the beveled face of the push rod, a spring actuated operating rod having` a beveled face, a correspondingly beveled outer end face of the push rod, said operating rod extending below the cross head, and a stop member arranged in the path of said operating rod.

In testimony whereof I aiiiX my signature.

WILLIAM C. MURPHY.

Washington, D. C. 

